Putting a price on 'I do' not easy for dress shops

Weddings are expensive. The fairytale wedding including the designer wedding dress can cost a small fortune.

According to different online resources, the average cost of a wedding in Wood County can range from $16,724 to $27,874, from the start (dress shopping and invitations) to finish (reception and meal).

How much will your "I do" cost? The bridal budget is always a very important subject when it comes to wedding planning. You have to live within your means (or whoever is footing the bill). What will you sacrifice to have your special dress, special meal or the limo ride you have always dreamed of? Will you spend less on the reception to spend more on your honeymoon? What about the wedding dress of your dreams?

"Most (brides) come in more budget conscious, but they still get what they want," says Taylor.

The time that a bridal consultant, sales person, seamstress, event planner, etc., puts into a bride and her bridal party is a hard equation to figure out. The true cost of Taylor's time can vary. She has had brides getting married in two months to two years.

"Some (brides) make their wedding a lifestyle they put so much into it," Taylor says.

Taylor has owned Magic Moments since 2005 and has been a seamstress since 1995, doing specialty custom work and alterations. "I focus on what I do well," Taylor says.

The cost of overhead for her shop can be high. For every line she carries, she has to buy samples. There is a certain amount of dresses that have to be purchased every year to keep the lines as well. There are some stores that are not authorized dealers for particular lines of dresses, which is illegal, and those stores can financially hurt legitimate operations.

Taylor can stick hours into a customer, and if she chooses to order a dress from another store or finds it online, the bride risks not getting the quality and care that Taylor can deliver.

The fact that you can put countless hours into a bride and her bridal party searching for the perfect dress and have them go elsewhere doesn't bother Taylor, it's the nature of the business.

Taylor, along with her husband and daughters, runs and manages the shop on a full-time basis. Having a family-run and operated business has its advantages when it comes to the cost involved in her overhead, but it is still a cost.

Looks can be deceiving at her store as well; what you see is not all that she has. She keeps last year's samples, dresses, etc., on hand and has discount sales at various times on them. Cost is a priority at all shops as well as for budget-conscious brides. To try and help offset costs for bridal parties, Taylor offers group discounts. She even has a referral perk for prom dress and tuxedo shoppers - all in an effort to try and keep everyone within their budget.

Recently, Circle The Date owner Jenny Kilty moved into her new location at 400 S. Central Ave., which was a 75 percent increase in space over her former locale. After talking with Nikkie Kester, bridal consultant, and Kelly Keel Bredemann, you get a feel for the genuine enthusiasm they both have for being in the formal wear industry. When they had time to think of the cost that they put into a bride and bridal party, they too were hard pressed to have an actual figure.

Circle The Date covers not only the formal wear needed for the big day but also photobooth and decorations rental, invitations and event planning. Kester says that Kilty's favorite saying is "We do everything but the cake." They can put countless hours into appointments, after-hour private parties and accessory parties.

Some brides come in as little as two times a week leading up to the wedding, and some more frequently trying to decide what they are all looking for. An hourly figure that the ladies agreed on was 20 to 40 hours per bride and her party.

Currently, there are two part-time employees and two full-time employees at Circle The Date. Budget-conscious brides also are a normal at the store but rarely does the bride give up her "perfect" dress.

Keel Bredemann says that as a decorator it is so rewarding when everything comes together at the event. Both ladies agreed it does happen when you put in time and money into a customer and they go elsewhere, it is the nature of the business, but it is still worth the ones you do make happy.

Regardless of where you go for your formal wear needs, both stores are accommodating, welcoming and friendly. The true cost involved for the retail formal wear store per bride is a hard nut to crack, but the passion that these employees and owners have for their clientele can't be measured.

Libby S. Block is a correspondent for News-Herald Media, happily married since October 2010.